Different Meanings
by howlingwolvesonfire
Summary: Words never change, it's only how we define them that shifts. CoLu Week Day 6: Family


Feel free to note me on any mistakes. I hope this is to your liking.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail**

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 _Family_

* * *

That's what the boy thought of the people he knew in the cells at the Tower. They were the only ones who seemed to care about him as more than just a tool to work to death. Plus, they were all he knew; his own memories of anything before the Tower didn't seem to exist. He didn't seem to mind much though, anything from his previous life was not coming back anytime soon, so why bother trying to remember it at all?

* * *

 _Family_

* * *

The little girl didn't really know what that word meant anymore. After her mother died her father had gone strangely...silent, before taking a turn for the worst. She wouldn't dare enter his room, not even for an emergency anymore. The servants were always kind, but the girl couldn't help but wonder if she had lost something that she could never obtain again.

* * *

 _Family_

* * *

The boy, now miraculously freed from his prison, pondered the words of his new savior. He had referred to him and the other children chosen as his "family" and that they should refer to him as their "father". Now a bit more wise to the world, the boy wondered if the man truly meant what he said as he watched Cubelios slither up and down his arm. Whatever his new "dad" had planned for him, it couldn't possibly be worse than the Tower, and for that the boy was eternally indebted to the man, family or not.

* * *

 _Family_

* * *

A frenzied shriek left the girl's mouth as a projectile meant for someone else landed mere inches from her feet. No longer the little girl locked inside of her own house, she had finally done something that she had always wanted to do, join a guild. Of course, she just had to choose the most rambunctious guild of them all, Fairy Tail. Yet, even as more fights continued to break out across the guildhall, the girl felt a strange sort of...peace in her mind. A peace that was quickly disrupted as yet another projectile came hurtling towards her face. Yep, this place was crazy alright.

* * *

 _Family_

* * *

The prison walls were not kind to the boy, who was still deep in thought about the events that had transpired not even two weeks ago. The event still made him shake with anger as he recalled his "father" betraying him in the most ruthless way, as he had literally stabbed him in the back just as he was getting up to fight again. After he had come to, he found himself and the others captured by the Magic Council and shipped to the most secure prison Magnolia had. They had failed to awaken Nirvana, and now they were destined to rot in this hellhole for the rest of eternity. The boy gave a weak punch of frustration to his prison's walls. He would die alone, just as he always feared in the Tower, and that, more than the betrayal, hurt him to his core.

* * *

 _Family_

* * *

The guildhall was alive once again with the sounds of fighting, much to the chagrin of a certain tired blonde who was more in the mood for tea and cakes than fists and fire. After leaving Edolas and having gained back Lisanna, the tired girl had only wanted to rest her aching feet. The guild had other plans of course, like throwing a party for Lisanna's safe return. Still, among all the chaos and insanity the day had brought (and was going to bring), a warm smile appeared on the girl's face. How could she not smile knowing that a precious guildmate had reunited with her family?

* * *

 _Family_

* * *

He could hardly believe what had just transpired. Finally freed from their prison of more than seven years, him and the rest of his former guildmates were ready to finally move on with their lives. Then a certain pain in the ass showed up, and demanded that they join him on a journey of "true freedom". The crazy part was that they had, in the end, agreed to go along with him. Some would argue that the boy only had a change of heart because of the ass kicking he and his team had received, but as he looked out over the town, he would have to say that wasn't the reason he had joined them. Maybe the thing he had thought he had all those years ago could finally be obtained, that is, if he wanted it to be. Calling them a "family" seemed like a pretty big stretch to him, but it was the closest thing to one he had been in so far.

* * *

 _Family_

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The girl cried as she ran down the streets of Magnolia, not caring what anyone else thought as her screams of anguish were carried across the town. Her best friend, gone. The guild she had called home for over a year, disbanded. The rest of her guildmates leaving to train or join other guilds. And where did this leave her? Alone. The one thing she could not stand more than anything else. As she slowed down to catch her breath, leaning against a building in the middle of town, the full realization of her predicament bore down on her as she sank slowly to her knees and cried.

* * *

 _Family_

* * *

He didn't really know what to think of her, although he sure knew what she thought of him. Rude, crude, and while not the scariest person she had ever met, definitely not someone she wanted to meet in a dark alley at night. (He had tried to reason that this also applied to most of her guild, but she had just laughed and said he was "different". What was that supposed to mean?) Still, she seemed to be slowly warming up to him, if the occasional snarky comment or gentle smile directed at him meant anything at all. He too was coming to terms with her, as she was one of the few sane people in the entire cursed guild that he could tolerate for more than a minute.

Or was "tolerate" the right word anymore?

* * *

 _Family_

* * *

She was unsure of why she began talking to him whenever she felt a little lonely. It wasn't like she had no one else to talk to, Natsu was still his normal cheery self, Gray was always willing to lend an ear, and Erza guaranteed hours of discussion on almost any topic that interested the both of them. So, just why did she find herself trying to reach out to him even after others had failed to connect? Who was she to smile at his crude remarks or giggle at his wisecracks? At first she thought it was out of some obligation to be nice, but why did she sometimes feel at odds with him?

Who was she to him anyways?

* * *

 ** _Family_**

* * *

The two sat together in the field, both admiring the starry night sky while they chatted about their day. The maroon-haired man waved his hands in exasperation as he told the blonde how absolutely ready he was to kick Natsu's ass after almost getting killed on a mission with him. She laughed and told him how baby crazy Mirajane had been after she realized that the blonde was due in three more months. At the mention of the baby, the man moved closer to her and placed a gentle hand on her belly.

"Have you thought of any names?"

"A bit, there's still plenty of time to think of one."

"I know, I just want the name to be perfect."

His wife laid her head on his shoulder, her brown eyes looking directly into his single violet one. "Whatever we name them, I'm sure it'll be perfect." She closed her eyes and a sleepy smile crossed her face, "I love you Erik."

Erik smiled as well.

"Love you too Lucy."

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 **The Day 7 prompt "Journey" will be uploaded next week sometime because I still have a bit of it to write out and I'll be away from a computer for a week. Boo.**

 **Advance thanks to Dragon and Eien for hosting this wonderful week! I loved waking up each day to read a new CoLu story, and I hope to participate even more next year. You guys rock!**

 **~Howl~**


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